Key facts
- U.S. Bank completed a live cross-border payment using its proprietary USBDC stablecoin on the Stellar blockchain.
- The pilot transaction involved moving funds between U.S. Bank's North American and European entities.
- The test integrated the stablecoin's functions with the bank's existing risk, compliance, and operations systems.
- U.S. Bank is exploring further applications for its Digital Asset Platform and USBDC, including treasury operations and collateral movement.
- The move aligns with a broader trend of major financial institutions developing their own stablecoin projects.
U.S. Bank, the fifth-largest commercial bank in the United States, has successfully executed a live cross-border payment using its proprietary USBDC stablecoin on the Stellar blockchain. The pilot transaction moved funds between the bank's entities in North America and Europe, testing the stablecoin's minting, redemption, freezing, and clawback functions while integrating with existing risk, compliance, and operations systems.
The pilot validated U.S. Bank’s internally developed Digital Asset Platform, which connects tokenized assets with its traditional banking infrastructure. The bank is exploring additional uses for the stablecoin, including cross-border treasury operations, liquidity management, and moving collateral on-chain. This initiative builds on the bank's broader push into digital assets, with a dedicated unit established in October 2025 focused on stablecoin issuance, crypto custody, and asset tokenization.
This development occurs as other major financial institutions, including Goldman Sachs, Bank of America, Citi, and Wells Fargo, are backing a separate venture aiming to launch a U.S. dollar-denominated stablecoin in the first half of 2027, targeting wholesale, institutional, and retail markets for payments and settlement.